Contents

History

Origins

Bruce Wayne was orphaned as a child when the mugger Joe Chill tried to steal his mother's necklace. Thomas Wayne was shot while defending his wife, and Martha Wayne was immediately shot as well. This incident made him swear to avenge their deaths and spend the rest of his life warring on all criminals.[7] His uncle Philip Wayne became his legal guardian, and sent him to elementary school at Hudson Academy.[8] In college he trained to become a master scientist in perfect physical condition.[7] This is also where he met his first girlfriend, Julie Madison, through the theater department. They starred in several shows together and eventually fell in love. Bruce wanted to become a police officer, but Julie told him she could not love a man who was constantly putting himself in danger. To fight crime without his girlfriend realizing, Bruce decided he would need a disguise.[8] He knew that criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot, so his disguise had to be something that could strike terror into their hearts. Just then a bat flew in through the window of his study. Bruce took this as an omen, and decided that he would become a bat.[7] The finest costume designers were hired anonymously to develop his batsuit in secret, and bribed to keep quiet.[8]

Bruce went on patrol for the first time as Batman, unsure if he was truly ready to fight criminals. The first crook he fought was a thief named "Slugsy" Kyle who was trying to rob a warehouse. Kyle was able to knock Bruce out and tie him up, but Bruce recovered and delivered Kyle to the police.[9] This failure made Bruce decide to settle down with Julie and find a desk job.[8] Julie had moved to pursue acting in New York City, and Bruce set up a date to ask for her hand in marriage. Bruce decided to visit his uncle Philip's friend Commissioner Gordon and ask for a recommendation to the NYPD.[8] They are interrupted by a series of murders involving the Apex Chemical Corporation. Bruce becomes Batman again to solve this case. He takes down several thugs and stops the conspiracy's leader, corrupt businessman Alfred Stryker.[10] Bruce decides to continue acting as Batman in secret. He asks Julie Madison to marry him, and she says yes.[8]

Crime Fighting Career

Batman's first costume

Originally considered a vigilante who seriously injured many of his early opponents and even killed some of them occasionally[11], Wayne as Batman proved to be more effective against the open-acting crime organizations that Gotham City Police Department. Batman began gathering the grudging admiration of Police Commissioner James Gordon in his efforts, despite Batman's original heavy-handed methods of crime-combating operations.

Early Cases

Batman's presence alerted the criminal underground of Gotham and he was soon challenged by a mad scientist known as Doctor Death.[12] However, after burning his laboratory, Batman tracked him down and delivered him to the police.[13]

Bruce's fiancée Julie, somehow became hypnotized by the mysterious Monk.[14] Bruce was forced to act as Batman in order to save Julie from the Monk and traveled to Paris, where he killed the Monk and rescued Julie.[15]

While still in Paris, Bruce encountered a man with no face and his sister, who were chased by the Apaches. Batman intervened and he confronted their leader, Duc D'Orterre. After escaping a death trap and a weird garden, Batman followed and captured the Duc, rescuing the girl and stopping his mad experiments.[16]

Shortly after, the city was attacked by a giant dirigible that caused buildings to collapse. Batman stopped the criminals behind it all and destroyed the dirigible.[7] After this, Batman investigated the killings connected to an ancient relic and discovered the killer, who fell to his death in their final fight.[17]

Batman first encountered the mastermind criminal Hugo Strange after he discovered a great plan that allowed Strange to create fog in Gotham. Batman stopped him and sent the criminal to jail.[18] Later, Batman encountered a group of enemy spies that tried to create an international conflict and he managed to stop them with help from an undercover spy. [19]

Batman and Robin

A valiant oath

Bruce Wayne attended the Haly's Circus on the night when the Flying Graysons were murdered by the gang of Boss Zucco. After witnessing the scene, Wayne approached Dick Grayson, the only son of John and Mary Grayson, and took him in as his ward. Revealing his identity as Batman, Wayne trained Dick and allowed him to become his partner under the alias “Robin”. Their first mission together was the capture of the killer of Dick's parents, Boss Zucco.[20]

However, Bruce never had the intention of allowing Dick to become a crime-fighter, but due to Dick's insistence, Bruce trained him in criminology and investigation. The final test came when the Gotham Police couldn't capture some criminals and they had to assist them. Unfortunately, Batman was captured by the criminals and Robin was forced to work alone to rescue Batman. After this impressive feat, Batman allowed Dick to become his permanent sidekick.[21]

The third case that the Dynamic Duo had to solve was the Opium trade in Chinatown. Batman was informed by Wong about the racket and while researching, Batman was attacked by one of the criminals. After dealing with him, Batman located their hideout, where Robin was already fighting them. Together, they eliminated the criminals.[22]

Rogue Villains

Batman and Robin solved a murder mystery perpetrated by the mysterious Clayface[23] and soon they faced a new wave of unusual criminals like the Joker, Cat-Woman and a fugitive Hugo Strange.[24][25]

Batman's crusade against crime continued and he stopped various criminals including the Painter of Death,[26] he saved the New York World's Fair,[27] cleaned a whole town from corporate gangsters along with Robin[28] and stopped other criminals including Catwoman[29] and Joker[30][31] and Hugo Strange once again.[32]

The Dynamic Duo

As he became more prominent, Batman not only stopped criminals, but also fought for social issues.[33] Despite this, his main focus was always criminals and following this cause, he captured a gang that planned to loot Fort Stox from a cavern underneath.[34] Shortly after this, Julie Madison ended their engagement just around the time when Clayface struck again.[35] Briefly after this, the Joker made a comeback and during a final fight on a light house Batman defeated the madman. After this encounter, Batman and Robin rescued a girl from another dimension, cleared an innocent man's name at the cost of three bullet wounds and later, Bruce also was reunited with his old friend Linda Page.[36] Shortly after, Batman and Robin solved the mystery murder of Erik Dorne at the hands of a witch,[37] and stopped various regular criminals[38][39][40][41]

Later, Batman organized the people of Gotham to help a young woman achieve her dream[42] and he stopped a pirate gang.[43] Around this time, Bruce began dating Linda Page and he captured a group of criminals, saving Linda's uncle by doing so.[44] Batman also saved Linda's father, he infiltrated a prison and he was forced to fight in a boxing match in order to stop various members of Gotham's organized crime.[45]

After this, Batman encountered a new villain who terrorized Gotham City. The Scarecrow used fear as his modus operandi and after a long investigation and various encounters, Batman was finally able to capture him and send him to jail.[46] Batman stopped the threat of a stone giant,[47] and saved people from a dying man.[48] Batman and Robin encountered the Joker once more and they solved more cases before Bruce Wayne was framed for murder. With Robin's help, Bruce managed to break out of prison and acting as Batman, he cleared Bruce's name as well as his own. As a result, Commissioner Gordon named Batman an honorary member of the GCPD.[49]

The Penguin

Not long after this, a new criminal by the name of Penguin appeared in Gotham and Batman was framed for stealing a valuable gem. With help from Robin, Batman cleared his name but Penguin managed to escape.[50] Later, Batman infiltrated a prison to stop a master criminal, he stopped the deranged Professor Radium, solved some superstition mystery murders and finally captured the Joker after a chase across the country.[51] Then, Batman and Robin stopped a criminal gang in a west town,[52] stopped Penguin's second criminal racket[53] and soon the GCPD incorporated the Bat-Signal to work along with Batman.[54] After this, Gordon and Batman started working closely to capture various criminals including mob bosses and super criminals like Joker, while their relation as friends became stronger as they would spend a Christmas with all their allies together.[55]

After this, Batman and Robin stopped three smart and dangerous criminals,[56] uncovered the mystery behind the crime holiday scheme,[57] captured a fugitive Joker,[58] stopped Catwoman's crime spree, saved a kid from a band of thieves and restored peace in Sunshine City.[59]

Not long after this, Joker faked his death[60] and Batman captured him after he tried to murder Robin. A few days later, Batman encountered the Penguin in Florida but was unable to bring him to the authorities.[61]

Later, Batman starred his own radio show “The True Tales of Batman”, where he shared some of his most impressive feats and some actors would recreate the scenes.[62] After this, Batman and Robin stopped the Joker and his scheme of mad pranks[63] and also managed to stop Penguin's trained birds racket but failed to capture the criminal.[64]

Two-Face

Batman was called to testify against the criminal ”Boss” Moroni, but during the trial, Moroni tossed acid to the D.A. Harvey Kent's face, scarring it in half. After the accident, Kent lost his mind and became the criminal Two-Face. Batman was forced to fight his former friend, and in the end he offered Kent a chance of redemption.[65] Two-Face turned down the chance and continued his criminal activities. After a few more runs against the criminal, Batman was finally able to capture Two-Face and sent him to jail.[66]

When the Joker started a new racket in Gotham, Batman and Robin prepared a trap that caused Joker to fall victim of his own schemes,[67] but the Joker returned with a vengeance when he blackmailed business owners to steal from them. Batman discovered Joker's scheme, but failed to capture the mad criminal.[68] After this, Batman and Robin stopped some Nazi spies from sabotaging America's war plans and shortly after, the dynamic duo finally captured Penguin, who was sentenced to death.[69] A while later, Batman was challenged by the Joker, who went on a daily crime spree until Batman and Robin finally deduced his plans and captured him.[70]

Batman's relation with Linda page almost came to an end when he had to pretend to be engaged to Catwoman. When the mistress of crime discovered his deception, Catwoman began a crime spree until she was arrested by Batman and later, Bruce reconciled with Linda.[71] The next notorious criminals that the dynamic duo encountered were Tweedledum and Tweedledee. These twin-looking cousins started a crime spree in Gotham after which Batman and Robin located their hideout and stopped them.[72]

Alfred Beagle

Alfred, Bruce's butler

After capturing the Joker, who was suffering from temporal amnesia, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson were introduced to Alfred Beagle, who arrived at Wayne Manor with the purpose of becoming their butler. At first, Bruce and Dick weren't going to let Alfred stay, but after the stout fellow proved to be useful, both by helping the dynamic duo capture some criminals and also by discovering Batman and Robin's secret identities, Alfred became Bruce Wayne's butler and Batman's assistant.[73]

Later, Batman confronted the newest criminal in town The Crime Doctor sending him to prison.[74] However, the doctor escaped and started a new crime spree until he was betrayed and killed by one of his own men.[75] After this, Batman succeeded in turning Two-Face to the right side of the law, forcing him to quit crime and have his face surgically restored.[76] Not long after this, Batman confronted a new villain in Gotham by the name of Cavalier, who was a very eccentric and colorful criminal.[77]

Bruce Wayne almost lost the custody of Dick Grayson when Dick's uncle, George Grayson claimed his nephew's custody under a court of law. However, George Grayson's connections with criminals made him lost the custody of Dick, who was once again under Bruce's protection.[78]

Shortly after this, Bruce upgraded his secret base of operations and turned it into the Batcave, where he would keep his vehicles, the secret laboratory and the gym. Around this time, Alfred also lost weight and turned into a slim version of himself.[79]

Later Cases

Batman was later introduced to Professor Carter Nichols; who was a time travelling expert that allowed Batman and Robin to travel in time with their minds.[80][81][82][83]

The Dark Knight

Shortly after this, Bruce suffered a knee injury while on a mission as Batman. A bullet shattered his kneecap and he was forced to get to a hospital as Bruce Wayne. He spent a few weeks at the place, time in which he solved a crime inside the hospital and after a successful recovery, he was back in action.[84]

Shortly after this, Gordon was demoted to patrolman by the Mayor of Gotham and the new Commissioner destroyed the Bat-Signal, ending the GCPD partnership with Batman. After a quick investigation, Batman uncovered a large criminal network blackmailing the Mayor. In order to capture the criminals, Batman had to pretend to shoot Gordon, but he protected him by shooting a transparent plastic shield. Once the criminals were captured, the Mayor reinstated Gordon as Police Commissioner and the GCPD placed a new Bat-Signal, consolidating the GCPD alliance with Batman.[85]

Bruce confronts Joe Chill

While investigating an illegal trucking company, Bruce learned the identity of the killer of his parents. Joe Chill was running the trucking company and Batman tried to force Chill into confessing his past crime. Batman stalked Chill everywhere he went and even revealed his true identity to scare Chill into submission. However, Chill sought help from his crooked friends, but when they learned that he is responsible for creating Batman, they shoot him without even asking Batman's true identity. Batman arrived in time to capture the killers, but Chill couldn't be saved and the case of the Wayne murders was closed.[86]

Shortly after this, a new wave of criminals arrived in Gotham. First came The Riddler, who announced his crimes in puzzles and riddles, leaving them for Batman to solve and to challenge his wits.[87] Then came The Mad Hatter, who was obsessed with the character of the same name from “Alice in Wonderland”. Simultaneously, Bruce Wayne met the beautiful reporter Vicki Vale, who deduced Bruce's identity as Batman, but couldn't prove it despite her efforts. However, she proved to be useful against The Mad Hatter, helping capture the criminal.[88]

Sometime later, Bruce joined the GCPD for a short period of time, but he retired because his duty interfered with his work as Batman.[89] Shortly after this, a new vigilante appeared in Gotham and tried to upstage Batman. His name was Deadshot and he almost succeeded in taking Batman's place. However, his intentions weren't good and after being revealed as a criminal, Batman captured and sent Deadshot to prison.[90]

Killer Moth

Next, Batman faced a criminal called Killer Moth, who used the same tactics as Batman, but to help criminals.[91] Shortly after, Batman revealed Killer Moth's secret identity[92] and the crook decided to impersonate Bruce Wayne by changing his normal appearance with plastic surgery. Using his new appearance as Wayne, Killer Moth learned the secrets of Batman, but ultimately lost his new looks and memories during a shooting.[93]

Later, Bruce Wayne was appointed Mayor of Gotham City, which caused him some troubles with his identity as Batman.[94] After this, a new villain appeared in Gotham. Firefly was a special effects expert who turned to crime and used his knowledge to perform spectacular crimes. Batman confronted Firefly and soon the villain was captured.[95]
Batman started a relationship with the international supermodel Magda Luvescu, which caused a big scandal across Gotham City. As Batman spent time on dates with Magda, he stopped working for the law and forgot all about his crime-fighting career. Robin and Vicki Vale were the biggest detractors to this relation and Vicki tried to sabotage them, not knowing that it was all part of a plan to capture a wanted criminal. When Batman fixed Vicki's mistake, she apologized publicly and vowed to earn Batman's love—a promise that was never fulfilled.[96]

Following the discovery of ancient Indian artifacts in the Batcave, Batman and Robin, traveled back in time 300 years into the past using Professor Nichols' Time Machine. There they learn that the Batcave was previously inhabited by Jeremy Coe, an Indian spy and they helped him escape the Indians and report back to his superiors at Fort George before returning to their own time.[97]

Member of Super-Hero Teams

As a recognized effective crime-fighter, Batman was later recruited by the United States federal government as part of a covert strike force against Nazi operations in Europe that ultimately defeated an assassination attempt on the life of President Franklin Roosevelt. At the suggestion of Superman, he and Batman along with these other costumed heroes formed the new Justice Society of America.[99] Due to other commitments, Batman declined full membership status, and served only as an honorary member, as he did in the past. He did, however, become more active in the wartime super group called the All-Star Squadron.

Despite being a member of the All Star Squadron, Batman mostly remained focused in protecting Gotham City though he would occasionally take part in several European cases such as with the Unknown Soldier and others.[100]

Marriage and Later Life

Batman continued to remain active after World War II and the public disbanding of the Justice Society due to the unwillingness of costumed heroes to reveal their secret identities as demanded by the Federal Government investigative committee. Years later, Wayne confronted the Scarecrow in a case that caused Wayne to seek out the help of his old time foe Selina Kyle, the Catwoman. Upon a promise of early parole for her, Kyle aided Batman. During the course of this case, the two finally acknowledged their true feelings for each other and Wayne revealed his true identity to her.[101] When Selina Kyle was finally released from prison, Bruce Wayne accepted her. The two wed soon thereafter. Selina gave birth to Wayne's daughter, Helena.

Deciding not to put his daughter in a similar situation as he underwent in his youth, Wayne retired from the Batman role. But desiring to remain active in some way as a crime fighter, Wayne ran for and attained the position of Police Commission of Gotham City upon the retirement of his long time friend Jim Gordon.

After a period of inactivity a former henchman of the Catwoman's, Silky Cernak, appeared and claimed to have proof that Catwoman had committed a murder in the 1950s. Silky threatened to expose this evidence to the police and destroy Selina's life unless she helped him commit one last crime as Catwoman. Fearing the destruction of Wayne's position and her daughter's safety, Selina acquiesced, secretly plotting to arrest Silky. Wayne resumed the Batman identity to stop her, unaware of Selina's plan. Selina was shot by Silky in her attempts to arrest him. Selina died in Wayne's arms, and Wayne was publicly revealed to have been the original Batman. Wayne decided to permanently retire from the role; Cernak would be later stopped by Helena Wayne, who became the Huntress [102].

Commissioner Wayne remembering his early days

Death

Wayne would only return to the role one last time after learning he was dying of cancer in order to stop Bill Jensen, who had been granted super-powers by the sorcerer Frederic Vaux. Having failed to arrest Jensen, Wayne took a Batman costume from the Gotham Museum and decided to attack Jensen directly as Batman. The two fought until Jensen realized that he could not deter Wayne in his attempt to stop Jensen. Jensen decided to destroy Batman and himself with a mystical blast [103] which succeeded in killing Wayne. The Earth-Two Doctor Fate erased completely from all people on Earth-Two that Batman and Bruce Wayne were the same. [104]

Wayne's daughter Helena and Grayson would continue protecting Gotham City as the Huntress and Robin until they were killed during the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Transportation

Weapons

Notes

This version of Batman, including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985–86 Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series. Even though versions of the character may have since appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.

Unlike most of his other counterparts (including his counterpart from Earth-One and his counterpart from New Earth), the Earth-Two Bruce Wayne was a frequent pipe smoker for many years dating all the way back to his youth before his marriage to Selina and continuing after her death, which accumulated to several decades; Some writers and fans have speculated this was the source of the terminal cancer that was slowly killing him, which was hinted at in Brave and the Bold #197.

Unlike the original Golden Age stories, the Earth-Two Batman was shown to have carried and used a gun after forming his partnership with his Robin whereas the original stories have Batman using a gun in only his earliest adventures and stopped before Robin joins him as a partner (shown in Detective Comics #38).

He was briefly succeeded in the role of Batman by his former junior partner, Dick Grayson, after Wayne retired.[110] But Grayson felt uncomfortable in the role of Batman and decided not to continue in the role and resumed his original costume identity of Robin with a modified version of his mentor's costume. Grayson later replaced that version of his costume with his better known mostly yellow bodysuit version.

The Earth-Two Batman's spirit appeared in the Infinite Crisis events and claimed to now be elsewhere and that his previous existence was now "complicated". It was not specified whether it was the Earth-Two Wayne's spirit or Grayson's spirit who appeared in the JSA 80-82 issues.

This character is or was an incarnation of or an ally of Batman, and a member of the Batman Family. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the "Batman Family members" category.